We recently had an extraordinary opportunity to discuss what is happening on food policy with European experts and organizations, as well as colleagues from around the world, in events in Brussels (29-30 May), Budapest (30 May-1 June) and Brighton (June 4-5). Here are some of the highlights of those events with some of the resources for people who are interested in knowing more.

EU Food and Farming Forum by IPES-Food Explores a Food Policy Council Model

Peter Andree and Diana Bronson participate in a panel at the EU Food and Farming Forum in Brussels.

The first event was the  in Brussels, organized by IPES-Food—the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food.  is, in some ways, the international counterpart of Canada’s (FLEdGE) research group, and one FLEdGE co-investigator, Molly Anderson from Middlebury College in Vermont, is an active member of both groups. IPES-Food has published a number of  since 2015 on the role of international governance mechanisms in the transition towards sustainable food systems.

Designed as ‘participatory democracy in action,’ the EU Food and Farming Forum attracted over 250 representatives of civil society organizations, social movements and governments from across Europe. Participants prepared a series of proposals designed to form the basis of a Common Food Policy for Europe. Launched in 1962, the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has been criticized by food analysts and activists alike for being expensive—almost 40% of the EU’s total budget—unsustainable and highly damaging to developing countries where subsidized exports are dumped below their real costs. Replacing the CAP with a Common European Food Policy is being championed by, amongst others, Olivier de Schutter (former UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food and Co-chair of IPES-Food). Much like the conversation in Canada around the proposed Food Policy for Canada, the EU’s Common Food Policy is proposed as a way to break down policy silos and build a more healthy and sustainable food system that is equitable, especially to the people involved in growing or otherwise making the food we eat.

The room was full for Peter Andree and Diana Bronson’s panel on Building Integrated Food Policies at the National Level.

Sustainable food system advocates in Europe are watching Canadian developments in food policy with interest. We were invited to speak on the opening plenary, along with organizations working on food policy and food system transitions from England and the Netherlands. It was striking to see the similarities in the issues we are facing, and to see the same debates among civil society actors that we have: How can we ensure sustainable food is accessible? What issues should be tackled first? How can we get more traction for a joined-up food policy and bring more actors around the policy-making table? How, as civil society organizations, can we have better access to decision-making and reform governance of our food system? How do food sovereignty, the right to food, and the sustainable development goals fit into food system reform? At the end of two days of discussion, many organizations endorsed a proposed European Food Policy Council, drawing from the  that Food Secure Canada (FSC), alongside many other stakeholders, endorsed for Canada.

Living Knowledge Network Examines Partnership Power Dynamics

We then went on to the beautiful city of Budapest for the 8^th biennial conference of the Living Knowledge Network (LKN). The LKN is a gathering of academics and civil society organizations committed to community-based research. Three days of discussions, poster sessions, and workshops examined the power dynamics between researchers and community groups. We heard many examples of innovative partnership models where communities are truly equal partners in research. For the past six years, Food Secure Canada (FSC) has been a core partner in the CFICE Project, so we shared how we have been working through this partnership to support knowledge co-creation and policy change towards a more socially and ecologically just food system. The CFICE project is now launching a permanent network of academics and practitioners who are committed to working together to improve research practices and evidence-based interventions. In Budapest, we were able to share details on this emerging network, called Community-Campus Engage Canada, with colleagues who have developed similar networks in Europe and around the world.

Institute for Development Studies and IPES-Food Discussed Political Economies of Sustainable Food Systems

The Institute for Development Studies and IPES-Food host discussions on the political economies of sustainable food systems.

Our last stop was the beautiful sea-side town of Brighton, UK where the Institute for Development Studies and IPES-Food co-hosted two days of academic discussions on the political economies of sustainable food systems. This workshop provided an opportunity to examine the complexities of food system reform with some of the world’s top thinkers. It was heartening to see that this list included a disproportionate number of Canadians, many of whom are connected with the FLEdGE and CFICE networks, among them Cecilia Rocha (Ryerson), Charles Levkoe (Lakehead), Harriet Friedman (University of Toronto), and Paul Uys (Guelph). The goal of the workshop was to help IPES-Food further their analysis of the political ‘lock-ins’ that inhibit movement towards sustainable food systems, and to explore various approaches for identifying the levers that can bring about change. Discussions were wide-ranging and included topics such as food riots, agroecology, alternative food cooperatives in China,Ìę, and resilience theory.

Central to the discussions at all three events were questions of power and practice: How can we best work together across our own silos, disciplines, professions, and geographies to redesign food systems badly in need of reform? We learned that the work we are doing in Canada to address these questions – both what we do and how we do it – is being watched closely by allies in Europe and beyond. Thanks to the support of CFICE, FLEdGE, and IPES-Food we were able to share the important food policy work of FSC Canada and others to meaningfully contribute to sustainable food systems dialogues in Europe and beyond.

Sometimes it’s hard to trace the direct impact that government programs have on our communities. This is partly because on-the-ground projects leading to community change often receive funding from many sources, including private donors, industry partners, foundations, and various levels of government. In the end, the question remains: Who gets the (most) credit for project outcomes and impacts?

Listen to the podcast below, or continue scrolling to read the full story! Download a PDF of the podcast transcript.

The Food Secure Canada team poses for a picture. ©Abra Brynne

In Food Secure Canada’s (FSC) case, a partnership through the government-funded has had a direct impact on their ability to contribute to consultations on building a Food Policy for Canada. With the Government of Canada’s extremely short ·ÉŸ±ČÔ»ćŽÇ·É— to be exact—having a Mitacs Postdoctoral Fellow provided FSC with additional policy and research expertise at just the right time.

“Being able to hire Amanda Wilson through Mitacs has given FSC the capacity to increase the number of voices being heard in the Government of Canada’s consultation process,” says Diana Bronson, Executive Director of FSC. “Amanda’s efforts, our partnerships with entities like and CFICE, along with the work of the FSC team as a whole, have lead to a much more robust engagement process around national food policy.”

According to the Mitacs website, the goal of the Accelerate program is to put “talent to work with an organization that needs it.” They do this by matching community or industry partner funding for research projects that include a postdoctoral student, a supervising professor and a partner organization. The project submitted by FSC, in collaboration with Amanda and supervising Lakehead University professor Charles Levkoe, was titled .

Amanda Wilson worked as a post-doctoral student for Food Secure Canada.

“Our goal with this project was to increase the capacity of community and academic partners to contribute to a national food policy process,” explains Amanda. “We wanted to experiment with different ways of collaborating and sharing resources for policy impact, all with the goal of pushing for more just, healthy and sustainable food policy.”

Through the project, Amanda has been able to take the lead on developing policy briefs (notably FSC’s and their ) and engaging with FSC members and academic partners to generate and refine policy recommendations. This included outreach to academic allies of FSC, as well as targeted engagement around New Farmers and Northern Food.

FSC has a long history of community-academic collaboration. A partner in CFICE since the beginning of Phase I, FSC creates space and opportunities for academics, non-profits, and community organizations to work together on research and advocacy for a just and sustainable food system.

“From day one, working with Food Secure Canada has been a bit of a whirlwind,” recalls Amanda. I’ve been involved in so many different events and processes. But it’s been a great opportunity to build relationships with community organizations and academics across Canada and to hopefully have a real impact on the government’s policy-building process.”

Attendees at the Ottawa Food Summit. ©Food Secure Canada

While the results of FSC’s advocacy efforts are not yet fully available—the first draft of A Food Policy for Canada won’t be out until mid-2018—the impact of having matching funds for Amanda’s position are clear.

“We wouldn’t have been able to generate the same depth and breadth of policy analysis, or connect with our members to the same degree without Amanda’s help,” says Diana. “The Mitacs funding has really increased our ability to meet our core goal of supporting the food movement to engage in meaningful policy change. The best part is that the funding lasts for two years, which allows us to breathe and really maximize Amanda’s contributions to our organization.”

As for Amanda, she’s happy she’s had the opportunity to work on such a high-profile policy process that incorporates so many of the crucial issues facing our food system. “Working in a community context, there’s a tangible impact of the work I’m doing that you don’t get in a strictly academic context, which is something I really appreciate.”

With another year of funding left for Amanda’s postdoctoral position, this collaboration is sure to continue generating important policy insight that contributes to a stronger food movement in Canada.

Become more community-first!

To learn more about how to make your work more community-first, check out our list of actions for all community-campus engagement practitioners!

If you missed out on the day-of presentation, not to worry. We’ve made it accessible below.

Please note: Audio issues were experienced during the start of the recording. The speakers are audible during the first 14 minutes of the video but the audio sounds crunched. The audio stabilizes 22min into the video and remains stable for the remainder of the video.

Speakers:

Larry McDermott A member of Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nation, Larry McDermott served as an Ontario municipal politician for 28 years including as the first national rural chair of FCM. He is currently Executive Director of Plenty Canada, a non-profit organization devoted to environmental protection and healthy communities, and Co-chair of the Canadian Environmental Network Biodiversity Caucus. He served as a commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission from 2009-2016.

Pat Mooney has more than four decades experience working in international civil society, first addressing aid and development issues and then focusing on food, agriculture and commodity trade. In 1977 Mooney co-founded RAFI (Rural Advancement Fund International, renamed ETC Group in 2001). He received The Right Livelihood Award (the “Alternative Nobel Prize”) in the Swedish Parliament in 1985 and the Pearson Peace Prize from Canada’s Governor General in 1998. He has also received the American “Giraffe Award” given to people “who stick their necks out.” The author or co-author of several books on the politics of biotechnology and biodiversity, Pat Mooney is widely regarded as an authority on issues of global governance, corporate concentration, and intellectual property monopoly.

Lauren Baker, PhD, has over 20 years of experience working on food systems issues. Her experience ranges from researching agricultural biodiversity in Mexico to negotiating and developing municipal food policy and programs. Lauren has consulted on farm to fork initiatives and food systems policy development across Canada and globally.Lauren’s expertise lies in sustainable food systems, food systems policy, food security, city-region food policy and planning. Lauren has worked with diverse clients to develop strategic plans, feasibility studies, undertake research, program planning and evaluation, and advise on policy development

Dr. Donald E. Buckingham is the President and CEO of The Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI). He has been a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada since 1988. In his career, he acted as a private lawyer, government lawyer, law professor, author and consultant in the areas of agricultural law, food law and international trade in agricultural products. Dr. Buckingham’s previous roles include Chair of the Canada Agricultural Review Tribunal. He also worked as Legal Counsel at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC). Dr. Buckingham taught courses as a law professor at three universities and conducted research on agriculture law, food law, constitutional law, administrative law, international law and tort law. For the past three decades, Dr. Buckingham also provided legal counsel to both federal ministers and civil servants grappling with legislative and regulatory matters in the industry, as well as being a lawyer with the Halifax firm of Patterson Kitz.

Discussant:

Catherine L. Mah MD FRCPC PhD is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Health at Dalhousie University. She is also appointed at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. Dr. Mah directs the Food Policy Lab, a multidisciplinary program of research on environmental and policy determinants of healthier consumption, with a focus on health-promoting innovations in the food system. Her current research is supported by CIHR, the SSHRC-funded FLEdGE research partnership led by Wilfrid Laurier University, and the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council-funded Healthy Stores 2020 project led by Monash University. She is a former member of the Toronto Food Policy Council and was a founding member of the St. John’s Food Policy Council.

Co-hosts:

Peter Andree, PhD, is Associate Professor and Associate Chair in the Department of Political Science at ĐÓ°ÉÔ­ŽŽ University. Prof AndrĂ©e’s research focuses on the politics of food and the environment. He practices, and teaches, community-based participatory research methods.

Diana Bronson joined Food Secure Canada as Executive Director in March 2012 and has worked to strengthen FSC as the national voice of the Canadian food movement.  Diana is trained as a political scientist and sociologist and has a professional background in journalism (CBC radio) and international human rights (Rights & Democracy) as well as international climate and technology negotiations at the UN (ETC Group.)

• Ending Generational Poverty through CCE – Cathy Wright
  • How benefitted from CFICE support in developing a city-wide collective impact initiative
• Building a national food movement – Diana Bronson
  • How (FSC) worked in partnership with CFICE to advocate for a National Food Policy
• Advancing Rights for Women with Disabilities – Bonnie Brayton
  • How the (DAWN) worked with CFICE to build tools for critical policy work in Canada
• On a Journey of Reconciliation – Colleen Christopherson-Cote
  • How the prioritizes reconciliation and decolonization in its community work

Video Link

If you missed out on the day-of presentation, not to worry. We’ve made it accessible below.

Presenters

For the past thirteen years, Cathy Wright has been a key catalyst in the poverty reduction efforts in Saint John, New Brunswick.  Prior to moving into semi-retirement, she served as executive director of Living SJ, a dynamic network of leaders from business, government, non-profits and low income neighbourhoods, focused on ending generational poverty.  She supported the development and implementation of this growing network as it applied a collective impact approach to four game changing priorities – education, health, employment and neighbourhoods –  impacting the lives of individuals and families living in poverty. As both a professional and a volunteer, Cathy has contributed to changing social issues at the local, provincial and national levels.  Her work, primarily in the non-profit sector in poverty reduction, social planning, and adult literacy, is guided by the necessity of diverse partners working and learning together. Cathy is a recipient of the 2017 Vibrant Communities Canada Legacy Award and the Canada Volunteer Award.

Diana Bronson joined Food Secure Canada as Executive Director in March 2012 and has worked to strengthen FSC as the national voice of the Canadian food movement.  Diana is trained as a political scientist and sociologist and has a professional background in journalism (CBC radio) and international human rights (Rights & Democracy) as well as international climate and technology negotiations at the UN (ETC Group). Diana’s research, policy and advocacy work has centered on supporting social movements around the world, critically reviewing and educating around international trade and investment agreements, looking at the impacts of Canadian mining companies, and assessing the social and environmental impacts of emerging technologies. She has participated in many international negotiations on human rights, climate change, biodiversity, technology and sustainable development over the past two decades. She also worked in a senior position on Parliament Hill from 2006-2008. She lives and works in Montreal.

Bonnie Brayton has been the National Executive Director of the DisAbled Women’s Network of Canada (DAWN) since 2007 when she established a national head office in Montreal. This national, cross-disability feminist organization has focused on advancing the rights of women with disabilities and deaf women in Canada and Internationally for the past 30 years. Through DAWN, Bonnie helps highlight key issues and advocate for policy changes for women with disabilities in the employment sector to the justice sector, and everything in between. In 2014, as part of Canada’s 150th year Celebration of the Charlottetown Conference Ms. Brayton was named a Visionary, one of 23 Women in Canada, and in January 2015 was named one of Canada’s 40 Women Change Makers by Canadian Living Magazine. In 2016, she was appointed for a two-year term as a member of the Federal Status of Women Minister’s Advisory Council on Gender-Based Violence. Bonnie is also the President of Coup de Balai – Clean Sweepers, an innovative social economy organization providing home care services to people with disabilities and seniors in her Montreal community. Bonnie has also served as the Vice-Chair of the Feminist Alliance for International Action and was a member of the Steering Committee of La Maison Parent-Roback, a Quebec feminist collective in Montreal from 2008-15. Ms. Brayton lives in Montreal with her partner Delmar Medford. She has two adult daughters, Leah and Virginia.

Colleen Christopherson-Cote is the coordinator for the Saskatoon Poverty Reduction Partnership and the community co-lead for the Evaluation and Analysis working group of CFICE. She lives and works within Saskatoon, Treaty 6 territory and the homeland of the Métis. The interconnect between all three partnerships provides her with the opportunity to catalyze, convene and coordinate community-based work to drive change and build capacity around improving the lives of vulnerable people in Saskatoon. Fostering new and existing community-campus relationships is a core priority of her work, understanding that engaging community throughout research processes is integral to successfully reducing poverty. Colleen is committed to the implementation of UNDRIP and the TRC Calls to Action in both her professional and personal life, recognizing that reconciliation is essential for an equitable, just society.

Moderator: David Peacock is the Executive Director of Community Service-Learning in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Alberta, Canada. His research encompasses global service-learning, student equity policy and practices in higher education, curriculum theory, community-university engagement and ‘first generation’ university students’ participation in experiential learning programming. David is active in developing Canadian networks for community-engaged learning and research.

Terry Audla, Inuit leader and President, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), shares a northern  perspective on food security in this followed by a and answer period.

Cathleen Kneen,ÌęEditor, The Ram’s Horn and Chair, Just Food Ottawa shares her perspective on  followed by a.

Peter AndrĂ©e, Associate Professor of Political Science, ĐÓ°ÉÔ­ŽŽ University, shares his perspective on followed by a .

Diana Bronson, Executive Director, Food Secure Canada provides on food security followed by a brief .

Additional Resources

Yordy, Chris. Want amid plenty. 

Community Academic Collaborative: (webinar).

An outcome of the panel discussion was a nation wide set of webinars, one in English, one in French where the UN  Special Rapporteur on Food Security, , shared his findings regarding Food Security in Canada sponsored by .  Over 1000 individuals in over 50 communities in Canada heard his report then followed with a conversation on what that meant for local action thereby erasing the global local distance.